McChrystal Advances to NCAA Championships

May 08, 2010, 12:00 AM (CT)
Updated: May 08, 2010, 09:35 PM (CT)

LSU's Megan McChrystal

Steve Franz

Kent Lowe (@LSUkent)
Communications Sr. Associate

PALO ALTO, Calif. - The game of golf took a cruel turn for the LSU Lady Tiger golf team Saturday as it fell one position and one shot shy of advancing to the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship when it finished ninth Saturday in the NCAA West Regional at the Stanford University Golf Course.

But LSU junior Megan McChrystal will make her third appearance in the championship as individual competitor by being one of the two qualifiers from outside the top eight qualifying teams.

McChrystal posted a five-over par 76 in the final round to go with even par rounds of 71-71 to finish the 54-hole event at five-over par 218. That puts the two-time first-team All-SEC golfer in sixth place for the competition. The first five finishers all are on qualifying teams.

The national championship event is May 18-21 at Wilmington, N.C.

LSU posted a 23-over 307, its highest round of the three days, and finished at 52-over par 904 in ninth place, one shot back of the eighth and final qualifier for the national championships from this region, Texas A&M at 51-over 903

"We just didn't finish strong," said a disappointed head coach Karen Bahnsen of her Lady Tigers who were looking for their third straight trip to the national championships and the fourth in the last five years. "We three-putted ourselves out of it. We basically handed away a qualifying spot on a silver platter. There are no excuses.

"The pins were tougher (Saturday). We knew they would be," Bahnsen said. "But you don't win tournaments and you don't qualify for the national championship by not finishing the round."

LSU had just five-birdies in the round from the four counting scores. LSU finished on the front nine and played the last two holes (the eighth and ninth) in six over par as they desperately tried to hold on to the eighth and final qualifying spot with A&M already finished at plus-51.

The qualifying teams from the West who will be joined by eight teams from the East and Central regional are: Arizona 876 (+24); UCLA 885 (+33); Texas 890 (+38); Alabama 890 (+38); Virginia 894 (+42); Stanford 895 (+43); San Jose State 900 (+48); and, Texas A&M 903 (+51).

In the individual competition, Calle Nielson of Virginia and Madeleine Ziegert tied for the title at one-over par 213. Nielson had rounds of 72-71-71, while Ziegert after an opening 67, finished with rounds of 74-73.

In making the NCAA Championships, McChrystal becomes just the fifth women's golfer in LSU history to go to the national championships at least three times. Only two LSU golfers have ever appeared in the tournament all four years.